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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lash · pound · bulb · perch · band · face · patient · spell

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bulb — for light
  3. band — a music group
  4. face — to confront
  5. perch — the fish
  6. face — to point toward
  7. pound — a weight
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. spell — magic
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. band — a ring
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. bulb — for light
  20. spell — letters
  21. face — part of the head
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. spell — a short time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com